Smoke and mirrors in the Manchester City story: Peter Barrow

IF Premier League football is the modern-day equivalent to music hall in terms of entertaining the masses, then the accountants and the men who present those figures for public consumption are the new grand illusionists.

IF Premier League football is the modern-day equivalent to music hall in terms of entertaining the masses, then the accountants and the men who present those figures for public consumption are the new grand illusionists.

In releasing their annual report, Manchester City revealed a £461m tax loss, but far more interesting is the fact that the fans are seemingly unconcerned.

Reports state 97% cent of City fans believe the club makes a ‘significant’ social impact and is a huge part of their community.

However, this is where the smoke and mirrors seem to come in.

While supporters obviously feel that a club, who are spending reportedly £552,000 a day on players’ wages, are a big community bonus, the reported annual outgoing to UK charities from the club was just over £231,000 – down from over £695,825 in 2011.

Now I have always believed that if it is your money, you can spend it how you like.

And maybe in this instance it is the supporters who need to look a bit harder at how the magic actually comes about.